Dolphins' Dansby vows to battle through biceps injury

November 19, 2012|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - INSIDE SLANT

The Miami Dolphins' leading tackler, Karlos Dansby, injured his left arm in Miami's 30-9 win over the New York Jets on Oct. 28 and disclosed after Thursday night's loss to the Buffalo bills that he's playing with a torn left bicep and dislocated finger on the right hand.

Dansby, who leads the team with 76 tackles, told WQAM (560-AM) he's playing with "some serious pain," and that the finger pops out of place "every other play."

He's been playing with a brace since suffering the injury. Dansby intends on finishing the season because surgery would sideline him the next five months.

"The brace that I have on is limiting my range of motion," Dansby told the radio station during his weekly Friday interview. "Like (against the Bills), I had a chance to get a pick, and I couldn't get my arm in there to make the pick.

"I'm trying to do it with one hand, but I've got to make that play because I'm capable of doing it with one hand. I got to be able to do it."

Coincidentally or not, the Dolphins' run defense has dropped off the past month.

The Dolphins are annually one of the NFL's stingiest defenses against the run, but Miami has allowed four of the past five opponents to rush for 100 or more yards. And the only opponent to fall short of 100 was Indianapolis, which gained 97 rushing yards against the Dolphins.

Miami has few options outside of having Dansby finish the season with one arm.

Kevin Burnett, the team's weak-side linebacker, could move inside, replacing Dansby in the 4-3 scheme. However, there are few viable options to replace Burnett considering Jason Trusnik and Austin Spitler, two special teams aces, are Miami's best backup linebackers. And both present significant drop-offs in athleticism.

Burnett, who has been nursing a back and foot injury all season, and starting strong-side linebacker Koa Misi, who has been limited by a calf injury the past few weeks, also aren't completely healthy.

Dansby said the team's three-game losing streak is credited to players "not finishing plays," and admitted the defense isn't holding up its end of the bargain.

"I know we're better than the teams we're losing to, and that drives me crazy," said Dansby, who is 24 tackles from his fourth 100-tackle season. "We're one or two plays away."

"I want to win. We have the opportunity to get into the playoffs. Why not play with it?" Dansby said. "This tear in my bicep won't hold me back. My pain tolerance is very high. My mental toughness is impeccable and I'm a competitor. I love to compete and love to win. That's why it is so frustrating."

-----------------------------------------------

NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - NOTES, QUOTES

Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill has clearly hit a rough patch in his first season as an NFL starter.

The Dolphins' 2012 first-round pick has thrown five interceptions in the past two games.

"I feel like I'm getting better. I feel like I'm learning a lot. A learned a lot from last week," said Tannehill, who has a 70.8 quarterback rating. "Obviously you can't turn the ball over, and that's a big problem right now. I realize that throwing five picks in the last two games is a big problem and one that needs to be addressed."

--Aside from when Miami racked up 263 yards on the ground against Oakland on Sept. 16, the Dolphins have averaged just 82.9 rushing yards in their other nine games this season.

"It's disappointing," head coach Joe Philbin said of Miami's rushing attack. "We would love to be more productive in the run game. We would love to have better balance in terms of run to pass. ... It's not just one lineman. The tight ends are involved, the fullbacks are involved, the running backs, the receivers' blocking. It's a unit thing."

--Starting left guard Richie Incognito's late hit in the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Titans cost his team 29 yards of offense, got him placed in Joe Philbin's doghouse and also cost him $10,000.

The NFL has fined him $10,000 for the hit after the whistle. Although Incognito has a reputation for being one of the league's dirtiest players, it is only his second fine in his three-year tenure with the Dolphins.

-----------------------------------------------

NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER NOTES

--RB Reggie Bush has averaging 3.1 yards per carry on his 50 attempts over the past five games.

--RB Daniel Thomas has averaged 3.5 yards per carry the past four games since returning from the second concussion he suffered.

--RT Jonathan Martin allowed his fourth sack of the season against the Bills. Martin leads the Dolphins' offensive linemen in sacks allowed.